


Because I Love You

by littleladyyoda



Category: The Umbrella Academy (Comics), The Umbrella Academy (TV)
Genre: Angst, Enemies to Lovers, F/M, Forbidden Love, Hurt/Comfort, Mutual Pining, Pseudo-Incest, Romance, Sorry Not Sorry, can't stop won't stop, not sure where this is going, you can disagree with me but i love these two
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-01-02
Updated: 2020-01-02
Packaged: 2021-02-27 04:40:51
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 736
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22091221
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/littleladyyoda/pseuds/littleladyyoda
Summary: There is nothing to set this argument apart from the countless others they’ve had over the past decade, but, for some unfathomable reason, the words choose this particular time to escape her lips.Diego Hargreeves/Vanya Hargreeves
Relationships: Diego Hargreeves/Vanya Hargreeves
Comments: 2
Kudos: 125





	Because I Love You

They’re full bore into an argument when the words come hurtling out of Vanya’s mouth. 

It starts stupidly, as it always does. Diego accuses her of something ridiculous and she says something passive aggressive back. Round and round they go.

It’s just the two of them in the house with no one around to hear, so they pull out the most nuclear of their verbal weapons and face off. She’s not entirely sure what they are arguing about anymore and she’s pretty sure he isn’t either, but she knows that she’d fight with him all day if it meant she could be in the same room with him for just a little longer.

“Well, then why do you keep coming back?” Diego finally demands, throwing out the words like a grenade.

There is nothing to set this argument apart from the countless others they’ve had over the past decade, but, for some unfathomable reason, the words choose this particular time to escape her lips.

“Because I’m in love with you, you asshole.”

The phrase hangs in the awful silence as he stares her down, his eyes filled with disbelief.

Finally, after what seems like hours, he takes a deep breath and speaks, his voice raspy.

“Say it again.”

Vanya mistakes this as a challenge and backs away, shaking her head.

“Vanya.”

She freezes at the pleading tone in his voice.

Diego crosses the room to her slowly. She has the sense that he’s trying not to spook her. 

He softly places a hand under her chin, forcing her to meet his eyes.

“Say it again.”

“I---I---I love you.”

She whispers the words, but pins him with eyes that are uncharacteristically bold, darting him to mock her. To her shock, he doesn’t. Instead, her admission has shifted his body language from defensive to gentle in mere moments. 

“Yeah, well,” he says, softly. “I love you, too. And you broke my heart.”

“Diego…”

He pulls away from her, backing up and shaking his head.

“There’s nothing you can say, Vanya. I’ve loved you my whole life, but you left me a long time ago and you never really came back.”

He trails off, looking down at his hands.

Vanya’s throat is dry as sawdust.

“I wanted you to come with me, Diego, if that wasn’t obvious.”

“It wasn’t,” he shoots back. “And you know I couldn’t leave all this.”

“So that’s it then?” she asks. “We just fight for the rest of our lives?”

“You made it clear how you felt about the family, how you felt about what we do.

“Exactly, Diego. How I felt about the family en masse, about our crazy childhood… Never about you.” 

“Yeah, well,” he says, sadness creeping into his eyes. “I guess it doesn’t matter now, does it? You can’t deal with it.”

“Really?” Vanya asks, exasperated. “You think I couldn’t deal with it? Not even if it meant I could be with you?”

Diego fixes her with a look.

“I don’t think you could. And I couldn’t handle it if you…”

He trails off, not able to finish the sentence.

“Left you again?” Vanya offers.

He nods tightly before starting to speak again.

“Do you have any idea how hard it’s been for the last ten years? Seeing you only a couple times a year? Knowing you could have been with some asshole who didn’t treat you right? Worrying about you? Knowing you were all alone in that big apartment? Not being able to talk to you everyday?”

He’s spitting out the words now, a decade of pain and frustration laid bare at her feet.

“I know exactly,” she whispers.

It’s the last thing either of them says before they hear the unmistakable creak of the front door being opened followed by the sound of Luther and Klaus having a lively debate about croissants.

Vanya instinctively turns to go out the back door before she’s pulled into any more family arguments, but Diego firmly snags her by the wrist before she can bolt.

“Go if you want, but we’re not done,” he murmurs in her ear, voice low.

She doesn’t even look at him before she leaves, but she knows from the tone of his voice that he was promising her something. She tries and fails miserably to will away the feeling of hope that starts to bloom in her chest – the first she’s had in ten years.


End file.
